


The Time Stone

by alafaye



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-07
Updated: 2012-07-07
Packaged: 2017-11-09 08:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/453246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While cleaning out Hogwarts, Harry finds a stone that take him and Draco back to the past where they meet the Founders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Time Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written [here](http://serpentinelion.livejournal.com/249034.html) at the LJ comm serpentinelion and their 2010 glomp fest.

"What's that?" Harry said.

Draco looked up from where he was sorting through rubble--pieces of the wall and pieces that belonged in what had been, hundreds of years ago, Rowena Ravenclaw's rooms. While the damage from the final battle had been immense, it had unlocked secrets that Hogwarts had been keeping. One such secret was the rooms that the Founders had used.

"Potter, whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing," Draco said.

"It's got writing on it," Potter muttered, sounding like he was trying to read it.

Draco looked closer at what Potter was holding and his eyes widened. "Potter, wait!"

But he was too late. Potter had started reading aloud the words and they both were engulfed by a white light.

~~~

Draco came to on something soft. He hoped it wasn't Potter. He sat up slowly, holding his head. He wondered what he'd had to drink the night before and why exactly Pansy hadn't stopped him from getting drunk. 

"Wonderful," a woman said from his right. "One of you is awake." A glass appeared, held by a hand adorned with a blue sapphire ring. "Here you are. This will help with the headache."

Draco cast a charm to clear it of anything poisonous or dangerous and heard someone else chuckle. He took small sips of the drink and only then, as his head cleared, did he look up.

And proceed to drop his cup.

The woman clucked her tongue and cleared the mess away. "Honestly."  
Draco gulped and shook his head. He had to be hallucinating. The second person said, "I think he's in shock, Rowena."

The first person--Rowena...Ravenclaw?--sighed. "As though I could not deduce that one, Godric."

"The Founders?" he mumbled. "Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw?"

Godric nodded. "Aye, lad. That we are. And you are?"

"Draco Malfoy. Um, it's 2001 where I'm from."

"That's some years you've traveled," Rowena said. "No wonder you took so long to come around." She waved her wand and a table with sandwiches and a pot of tea levitated over to them. "Go ahead and eat something. That trip took a lot out of you."

As Draco reached for the food, he paused. "There was another boy? Black hair, dressed rather poorly?"

"Ah, yes," Godric said. "We found him, but somehow halfway across the grounds from you. He's with Salazar as we speak. He had some other injuries that Salazar needed to heal."  
Rowena sniffed. "As though I couldn't have done so. Honestly, the man thinks he can fix everything."

"And so do you so get off your high horse," Godric said. He smiled at Draco. "Go on, the food is good. You need it."

Draco smiled weakly. "Thank you. Both of you." He ate three sandwiches and drank what must have been a gallon of tea.  
"Now, we only need to decide what we're going to do with you and your friend," Godric said. "Salazar said he was only too happy to let your friend stay with him. You may stay with me."

Draco wanted to object, but the founder of the Gryffindor house seemed friendlier than Rowena, who had lost interest in the conversation. He smiled. "Thank you, sir."

Godric nodded. "Come with me. Rowena needs time to look at the Stone that brought you and your friend here, and you need some rest."

Draco nodded. "Uh, thank you, Madame Ravenclaw, for your help."

She waved her hand absently and Draco followed Godric out into the night. He could see, a short distance away, a pile of rubble. "Is that going to be Hogwarts?"

Godric nodded. "It will be, one day. Hogwarts then is still standing in your time?"

Draco winced. "Some, yeah. There was a battle--likely the same where Potter got his injuries. The git probably never had them healed."

Godric raised an eyebrow. "A battle that took down Hogwarts? The wizard who organized that must have been great. The protection we are putting into it will be powerful and I'm sure that even if a tenth of it survived to your time, Hogwarts would have still been well protected."

Draco nodded. "I'm sure of it. And our former Headmaster, Dumbledore--"

"No more," Godric said. "Too much can alter the future and we don't want that."  
Draco's mouth snapped shut. He hadn't even thought of it and Severus had taught him more than enough. "Of course. I forgot for a moment."

Godric chuckled and pointed at the cottage that was drawing nearer with each footstep. "That's me. It's more than enough for us both until we find a way to send you back."

"You're sure then, that we can get back?" Draco asked.

"Oh, aye," Godric said. "The Stone your friend had on him--it belongs to Rowena. She's been doing some experiments with time on it and has successfully moved forward and back with it. She'll get you home, have no fear."

~~~

Harry groaned as he woke up. He shifted, thinking about sitting up, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He almost opened his eyes, but he was stopped by a quiet voice. "Don't do anything, don't even open your eyes. I'm sorry you're awake; you should have slept longer."

Harry fought the urge to open his eyes to see who he was with. "Sleeping? What's going on?"

"It seems that you found Rowena's Time Stone," the person said. "The resulting travel has taken a toll on your magic given how much you have. You're likely the reason why you came here and even brought someone with you."

"What? You mean Malfoy is here?" Harry asked.

"Well, here as in this time period, yes. Here with you and I? No, he is not. Rowena is looking him over and he'll be staying with Godric."

Harry laughed. "As in the founder of Gryffindor house? That'll be the day."

"Why do you say that?" The person moved away and was moving things around, things that sounded suspiciously like potions vials.

"The snake that I was with hates Gryffindors."

The person sighed. "Is that what's to become of the school then--a divided group?"

Harry risked opening his eyes and then immediately hadn't. What he had seen though confirmed his suspicions. "Slytherin?" 

"In the flesh." The person--Salazar Slytherin--moved closer. "Trust me now to not open your eyes?"

Harry made a sound of agreement since he didn't think that shaking his head would be best. "What happened to me?"

"Well, for one, your magical core has been damaged by the trip. This far back in time takes a lot of magic--magic that nature won't give up and so the Stone took it from you."

"What stone? You mean that thing I found that had the writing on it?"

"Yes. That thing. It's one of Rowena's experiments. It's supposed to be used lightly, a few minutes here or there. Not for thousands of years. The drain on your magic was considerable and you are going to be stuck here for a little bit so we can repair the damage."

"But...won't it be damaged again when we go back?"

"Rowena is working on that as we speak. I am working on a way for you to channel your energy safely should she fail." There was a moment of silence. "May I continue with your injuries or are you going to continue to interrupt me to ask questions that can wait?"

Harry felt his cheeks heat and distantly heard something rattling. He took a deep breath. "No, go on, sir."

"Very well. It is clear to me that you were recently in a battle in which you received injuries that you choose to not have healed. You have several cracked ribs, a little minor bleeding in your skull, an ulcer in your stomach and your right shoulder, both your wrists, left knee, and right ankle all have major fractures. None of which, I may add, are easily healed. It will take a few weeks and several different kinds of potions to heal all of that. And if you don't cooperate, when you go back to your own time, you risk your very life."  
Harry sighed. He didn't want to take orders from a man who could have intimidated Snape, but he figured until he was healed enough to move, he would have to. "So I'll just have to lie here until everything is healed?"

"At least until I am sure that you are ready to sit up. And then walk. And then run. And then test your magic. Until then, however, yes, you will remain lying there. I will restrain you if you don't."  
~~~

Draco woke up when the morning sun hit his eyes. He turned over, one eye remaining firmly shut, and glared at the window. It was no more than six in the morning. He grumbled and threw the blanket over his head to get a few more hours of sleep--it was summer after all. He liked to sleep during the summer.

Except now that he was awake, he could hear the sound of someone in the kitchen and it was very distracting. Soon, he could smell breakfast. His stomach growled at him and he sighed. Oh, well.

He got up and dressed quickly, casting a quick cleaning charm. He wondered how he was going to find clothes to wear until he went home. Godric was in the kitchen, waving his wand at a pan of eggs while flipping bacon. There was a jug of fresh juice on the table.

"Morning," he said as he slid into the seat.

"Good morning. Glad you're awake--there's some tending that needs to be done in the garden before we met up with Salazar and Rowena."

"Work?"

Godric waved his wand again and two plates were soon set on the table. Godric smiled at Draco as he sat across from him. "Yes, work. How else do you expect food to arrive at the table?"

"Well, back home, we have house elves," Draco said.

Godric chuckled. "Ah, is that what the future brings--lazy witches and wizards? You will be living here for some months yet and you will learn a few things, lad."

Draco whimpered. The only time he'd ever done anything remotely like labor was in Herbology. Such work was for servents. Godric chuckled again. "I'll have Helga explain why it's better for witches and wizards to grow their own food and their own potion ingredients and to take care of the land they live on."

"There's a reason?"

Godric nodded. "You'll find out. And just maybe you'll find out some things about yourself."

~~~

Godric left him with Helga after they had swum a few laps in the lake--something Godric insisted upon for some reason that he choose not to share with Draco. Godric left with the excuse of needing to tend to something in the forest and Helga welcomed Draco with a smile that reminded him of Molly Weasley.

"I've heard that you've done very little in a garden before," Helga said, leading the way through the rows.

Draco nodded. "House elves. They did everything."

"Well, then, it's time you learned where where your food is grown. You've missed the planting and the first growths, but there's still plenty to do. We've not yet hit the Solstice and so we're only just getting the first fruits."  
They stopped at some square sections where Draco could see the very beginnings of familiar vegetables. On the other side of the isle, there were some fruit bushes with unripe berries. "Here we are," Helga said. "Now, all I need you to do is go through all of them and take off any dying leaves or fruit and get the weeds out of the patches. There's a well just over there in the corner. Don't use a charm to water them."

"Anything else?" Draco asked, failing to keep his lip from curling.

She narrowed her eyes. "For that tone, you'll be working on a few rows of the plants for potions. Get to it."

She stalked off, leaving Draco alone. He sighed and looked around for gloves. Of course, he didn't find any. He didn't want to risk being hexed for trying to Transfigure some so he rolled up his sleeves and settled down.

~~~

Later on, Helga came by to check on his work. He had been very meticulous, treating the plants with the same care and dedication he would for his potions work. The weeds had been cleared and he was getting ready to water. She smiled and nodded. "Very good. You're a natural, I can tell. Have you been talking to them?"

He blushed. "I may have."

She beamed. "Good. They respond well when you interact with them, let them know how wonderful they are."

"They're just plants though," he insisted.

She shook her head. "They may be plants, but they aren't just anything. Like you and I aren't just humans. Plants are alive and breathing and need a good environment to live in just like anything else." She nodded at the buckets waiting to be filled. "Go on with those and I'll show you how to water them."

As they were distributing the water, she continued with her lesson. "When you take care of the land yourself, you learn about it and give back to it. And the land will bless you in return. The crops will yield more, your magic will be stronger, your home will be better protected, and any wards you use will be stronger. This is why you tend to your own garden and why you tend to your potions ingredients--it will work better for you."

Draco nodded, beginning to understand. The thought of the labor required was still scary, but he could see the reasons. "What about house elves? They want to do all of this for wizards."

She clucked her tongue. "Is that so? Well, I don't know what you have done to your house elves, but ours do not. They are proud creatures, willing to help us if we help them and don't harm them. They are free, but are willing to work with us. But that does not mean we take advantage of them or make them do the work we can do ourselves."

When he continued on, thinking, she nodded to herself. "You'll see, young Draco. You'll be with us until either Rowena fixes that Stone or the other young man harnesses his magic, so you'll learn what we can teach you."

~~~

In the afternoon, Draco followed Godric to the cottage where Salazar lived. It was dark, but inviting. Godric and Salazaar regarded each other warily while trying to be warm to the boys.

"Is Malfoy here?" Potter asked from where he was on the couch. "Bugger off, Malfoy."

Draco scoffed and Salazar hushed them both. "I want to see what happens when your magic interacts, boys. There's a reason why your magic brought him, Harry. I need to see it."

"What do we need to do?" Draco asked cautiously.

"Open yourself to the other," Salazar said. When he received blank looks in return, he closed his eyes. "What is it you learn at the school? Have standards slipped so far?"

"It's quite simple boys," Godric added. "Just close your eyes, tap into your magical core, and then reach for the other."

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. He searched out that spot inside of him that had always felt different from the rest and when he touched it, he felt an answering warmth. He gasped and smiled. "Bloody amazing."

"Quite," Salazar said. "Harry?"

"I've got it," Harry said.  
"Now, use that magic and feel the other out," Godric said patiently.

Draco took a deep breath and imagined that spark in him reaching out for Potter. He knew the moment he touched Potter's because he was sent flying back against the wall.

"Sweet Goddess," Salazar said as Godric ran over to check Draco for injuries. "I've not seen anyone's magic interact with another like that."

"What is it?" Harry asked. "What happened?"

"It's no wonder you brought him with you, Harry," Salazar said. "You have magic that is both compatible and yet not. You're rivals, yes? Where you're from?"  
"Yeah," Draco said. "From day one."

"Because you're a bigoted git," Harry said.

"And you don't know trash from gold," Draco hissed.

"Boys!" Godric yelled. "Whatever your issues are, they are no longer part of this. In order for you to get home, you must be in tune with the other."

"But we shouldn't have to," Draco said. "We weren't when we left there."

Godric shared a look with Salazar. "I think that's enough for today. Come on, Draco. You've used muscles today that you haven't before. You'll want a nice long rest."

~~~

A few weeks passed and soon, Harry was swimming with Draco and Godric in the morning and often joined Draco in helping Helga tend to the garden. Draco had at first wondered why he didn't see the other Founders in the garden or out in the morning until he realized that even though they wanted to create Hogwarts, they were each solitary in their own way. Rowena and Helga often went on walks at sunset while Salazar preferred an evening walk; Salazar kept his own garden while Rowena preferred night time tending in the garden. Godric tended to the meadow that lay along the path to the garden.

Through the days, each of the Founders taught the boys something different. Draco was beginning to wonder if they were test subjects, pupils that the Founders could use to hone and strengthen their skills as instructors and professors. They learned more than enough that when they returned to their own time, they would be ready to join any training for any profession that they choose regardless that their seventh year had been interrupted.

Draco found himself liking the quiet rhythm that the hard work and learning gave him. He found his magic stronger each day and was beginning to feel the land the way all of them could. He only hoped he would continue to do so when he returned to his own time.

He also helped them as they laid the foundation for the castle. It was hard work, the founders all checking drawings and lines and stars and runes to ensure that the castle would be protected and ready to house children who were learning to control their magic.

Yet, as Draco feel into the rhythm of life with the Founders, he continued to feel a spark of...frission when Harry was near. He had not reached out with his magic to Harry again, not wanting a repeat of the last time he'd tried, but his magic was always tense with Harry around. If Draco was exploring his growing magic, he would know where Harry was because his magic refused to go near Harry.

He asked Salazar about it one day, wanting to know why.

"Because Harry has not fallen into the same rhythm you have, Draco," he said. "And Harry has a lot of anger and arrogance to overcome. He's at odds with nature, with himself, with us. He's like an empty, dead spot in magic that I've come to see in some squibs or people who have lost their magic through accidents."

"And nature and magic don't like that," Draco said. "What about Muggles though?"

"Non-magic folk? They're not dead spots. They're just another creature, another animal, in nature. They are born that way and are naturally that way. So they are not bothersome to us."

"It's interrupting me, sometimes, when I'm trying to strengthen my magic."

Salazar nodded, as though expecting that. "I have a plan for that, don't you worry."

And as it turned out, he did. A week after their conversation, Draco was called to a spot by the lake that would become a little grotto where he knew fairies would gather on special nights. Even now, Draco could feel the swelling of natural magic.

"Now, we need to ensure that your magic does not fight with each other on the trip home," Salazar said. "Otherwise, you could both be lost to time and in places where no one can help you."

"How can we do that when we can't hold a simple conversation?" Harry asked.

Salazaar smiled. "Easy. You will duel each other, let your magic interact in the way it wants and let it learn the other. I'm sure that while you have dueled before, you've not let it loose. In these last weeks, you both have learned so much and learned a lot about your magical cores. This will be a different duel than you are used to and you will feel that."

As Salazar walked off to a safe spot, Draco spun to face Potter. "Well, Potter. Shall we?"

Harry sighed and they bowed to each other. They walked backward, neither trusting the other, and raised their wands. Draco cast a shield as Harry threw the first hex. 

~~~

Later that night, Salazar explained to them both what his theory was.

"Draco, you asked a very good question about how Harry was able to bring you here in the first place," he said. "And the answer is quite simple--whether either of you want to admit it, you both want the other."

Their yells of "what!" were perfectly in unison and Draco edged away from Harry.

"You mean that what I want is to shag that ponce?!" Harry said, pointing at Draco.

Salazar narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what that word means, Harry, but I can tell it's not polite and is downright insulting and I'll ask you not to use it again."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not gay. I like girls."

Salazar raised an eyebrow and looked at Draco. "What about you, Draco? I can tell you're angry, but how exactly do you feel?"

Draco gulped and looked between them. He was beginning to feel faintly ill. "Excuse me. I...Excuse me."

He ran as far from the cottage as he could, stopping only when he was near the gardens which were lit with fireflies and the odd fairy or two. They welcomed him and danced around him for a moment before leaving him to his thoughts.

After half an hour or so, he felt Harry approaching. This he knew was only partly because of how wrong Harry felt among the rest of the world; the rest...he sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew why he could feel Harry. Part of him did want the hero and his magic yearned to touch the other man's magic, yearned to feel in harmony with it because the pulse of Harry's magic called to his.

And damn it, yes, the other wizard was very handsome and Draco did want Harry to fuck him.

As Harry neared the garden, the fairies and fireflies tried to shoo him out. Draco sighed and left the circle instead of risking a fairy swarm. "Potter."

Harry regarded the garden with a level of wariness Draco hadn't seen in the hero since the end of the battle. It was a little refreshing since in Draco's opinion, the hero had been getting a little too full of himself.

"Can we go somewhere else? I don't think they like me."

Draco smirked and led the way toward Godric's cottage. "That's because you still have not learned to respect them or the land. This is a different time, Potter. Things are different here--the magic is still wild and there's so much of it to go around. There aren't as many wizards and witches so you're sticking out like a sore thumb to them."

Harry sighed and stuck his hands in his pocket. "How can you just...get used to it though? It seems like ever since we've been here, you've accepted all of this."

Draco sighed and stopped, looking up at the stars. He smiled when he saw a shooting star. "Because here, I'm just Draco. They don't know my family and don't know what they've done, what I've done." He absently rubbed at his arm. "They don't know about...him."

"You can say his name, you know," Harry said.

Draco looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "And risk changing the future? We can't, Harry. When we're back home, I promise I will. Right now, though? We can't."

Harry nodded to himself. "I suppose." He sighed. "Salazar reckons you do like me."

Draco blushed. "I...I might at that."

Harry looked at him for several long moments. "I should be getting back. I think he was hoping we wouldn't have killed each other and I want to make sure he knows we didn't."

It was a flimsy excuse, but Draco accepted it. "All right. I'll see you tomorrow for our swim?"

Harry smiled. "Of course."

~~~

When they met in the garden the next day, Harry bit his lip before saying, "I want to try. I...I thought a lot last night and...I reckon they're on to something here, getting in touch with things. And I have been angry for a long time and maybe...it's time I let go of all that. Would you like to help me?"

Draco shrugged. "Sure, Harry. I can do that." He glanced at the other boy as he turned to the first row of plants. "It might even get us closer to getting home."

~~~

The weeks continued to go by and the nights got colder. When the summer started fading, both boys were able to wandlessly summon their wands and cast minor charms. They could cast silently and often in tandem.  
"Very good, you're about ready," Salazar told them one day. "We just need to wait for Rowena to be sure."

After that, they spent a lot of time with her, showing her what they had learned and that their magic was no longer repelling the each other's. She nodded a lot and made a lot of notes, but never really said anything other than instructions for what else she wanted to see.  
When the season really started changing, Rowena announced she was ready.

Draco sighed as he put some more of the harvest under a preservation spell. He knew he would miss the hard labor and promised himself to learn what new techniques had been developed. He could imagine his own garden, with his own cottage--maybe something he built himself; he had learned a lot about that helping the Founders.

It wasn't the work his recent ancestors had intended their heir to do, but he enjoyed it and felt better for it and wanted to keep those changes.

"Draco?"

He turned and smiled at Helga. "I just put some more of the pumpkins into storage."

She smiled back. "Very good. You've done so well. Don't forget any of this."

He nodded and hugged her. "I won't. I promise."

She sighed. "Rowena is waiting. Come on."

"So soon?"

"Yes. She says we only have a small window."

Draco stepped next to Harry, waiting for Rowena to instruct them. "What you need to do is a combination of my spell and Salazar's theory. Both of you need to read the inscription on the Stone at the same time, but also rely on your magic to get you home. As you're chanting, make sure to envision your home, where you're going back to. Let that be your guide."

They both nodded. They took a moment to say goodbye and then turned to face the other. Draco opened himself to Harry who had done the same and it felt far and away better than that first time. As if reading the other, they looked down at the Stone as the same time and began to read the words.

A flash of white light and they were off.

~~~

When Draco woke up, he was on something soft and hoped it was Harry. He sat up slowly and immediately, someone was kneeling in front of him.

"Malfoy? Are you all right?"

Draco waved away Granger and looked around for Harry. Weasley was there, helping Harry who looked loads better than that first week back in time. He smiled and slowly stood, tentatively smiling at McGonagall.

"Headmistress," he said. She was silent as her lips pursed further closed.

"Let me through, let me through."

Madame Pomfrey pushed her way through the crowd that had gathered and clucked her tongue. "The both of you, come on. We need to get you lying down so I can look you over. Someone help them."

"We're fine, honestly," Draco insisted. 

She narrowed her eyes. "Either do as I say, Mr. Malfoy, or find yourself strapped in to a hospital bed for a week."

"Draco," Harry hissed. Draco sighed and nodded.

"All right, fine."

They trooped up to the temporary hospital wing--formerly the Transfiguration classroom for the first years. Granger had helped Draco as he admittedly was a bit wobbly. Weasley stuck by Harry and the Headmistress with the professors followed them.

Pomfrey clucked over them and waved her wand, checking their vitals and readings several times. As the sun was starting to set, she sat back. "They seem fine to me, just a bit dehydrated."

McGonagall nodded. "Thank you, Madame Pomfrey." She turned her sharp eyes to them and held out Rowena's Time Stone. "I can feel the magic on this Stone, boys. Explain yourselves."

Draco looked at Harry who sighed. "It belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. I found it when we were cleaning up the rubble in her rooms and I read out the incantation for it without thinking."

McGonagall considered that and then looked behind her. "Please excuse us. I'd like to discuss this in private with them."

The professors who had remained left, each at his or her own pace. Granger and Weasley argued to remain, but McGonagall snapped at them to leave or she'd assign them detention--even in the middle of summer. The Headmistresses Transfigured a chair out of quill and nodded at them to continue.

"No one is quite sure what happened except that maybe because of how much magic I have, we found ourselves at Hogwarts before it was...Hogwarts. The Founders were there, they're the ones who helped us back home."

"Why did it take four months?" Pomfrey asked.

Harry took a deep breath. "Me. I needed to learn to control my magic before I could safely get us back home. We could have been back here when we left, but Rowena said if we did, we could risk changing something that shouldn't have been changed."

When McGonagall leaned forward, Draco took over and he explained what they had been doing the last four months. At the end of the tale, Draco accepted the glass of water that Pomfrey gave him.

McGonagall was deep in thought. "The Founders. Before they built Hogwarts. And they taught you both." She studied Harry, as though seeing his magical core. She nodded. "Well, gentlemen, you've had quite the adventure. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey will keep you here for a few days to make sure you are well. I bid you a good evening."

She left and Pomfrey fussed over them a bit before leaving them for her office. Draco turned on his side to look at Harry who had done the same.

"Draco?"

"Mmm?"

"I was wondering--would you like to grab a bite to eat sometime?"

Draco grinned. "I think I'd like that, Harry. I really would."

Harry's smile was almost blinding and just as warming to Draco.


End file.
